what would you like SW to introduce

But at the same time I do understand why pureed/cooked fruit is not free, because you could eat heaps more fruit, cooked or pureed that what you could in it's full form and you are not having to bite or chew, which again takes away the keeping you fuller for longer.

See I don't find that at all Britmum, I only put in my smoothies what I would eat whole - a banana, some strawberries or other berries, maybe a few chunks of papaya or mango. Before I went vegan I would add an Activia fat free yogurt (now I add a bit of pure fruit juice), and I find the resulting drink is so filling it keeps me satisfied for hours! I don't understand how anyone could drink gallons of smoothie. :D

Compare the calories and nourishment in the blend I've stated above, with what's in a Pasta and Sauce or a packet of Savoury Rice ... it's just completely illogical to me that one is 'synned' and the other is 'free', despite the fact that one is infinitely better for you than the other.

To be honest it DOES make me wonder if SW have some sort of sponsorship deal with some of these brands. :confused:
 
See I don't find that at all Britmum, I only put in my smoothies what I would eat whole - a banana, some strawberries or other berries, maybe a few chunks of papaya or mango. Before I went vegan I would add an Activia fat free yogurt (now I add a bit of pure fruit juice), and I find the resulting drink is so filling it keeps me satisfied for hours! I don't understand how anyone could drink gallons of smoothie. :D

Yes I do understand what your saying, but while one person can be restrained, another might not, which is why I think they have kept it that way. Still, it doesnt explain the free high caloried/high fat packet rice/pastas etc though.
 
Yeah, I guess some people might abuse it, but then you could say exactly the same thing about all other 'free foods' as well, and SW seem happy for people to decide that for themselves. I find it really odd.
 
I personally like the idea of a portable syn calculator as I do SW from home, so I find it difficult sometimes when I'm shopping to know what the syn value of different products is. I'd also like SW to bring out a recipe magazine! I do like the stories etc in the magazine, but I'd find it more interesting if there were more recipes :) xxx
 
What my C said about the fruit thing was that the act of blending or pureeing the fruit a) uses a lot more fruit than eating it raw would, and b) changes the chemical breakdown of the fruit so that it contains a lot more natural sugar than it does raw.

Hence the syns. It is daft, but as good for you and healthy as smoothies are, they ARE remarkably high in sugar/calorie content.
 
What my C said about the fruit thing was that the act of blending or pureeing the fruit a) uses a lot more fruit than eating it raw would, and b) changes the chemical breakdown of the fruit so that it contains a lot more natural sugar than it does raw.

Hence the syns. It is daft, but as good for you and healthy as smoothies are, they ARE remarkably high in sugar/calorie content.

actually that is incorrect, fruit when cooked or pureed remains the same nutritionally as what is was in it's full form. it doesn't contain more sugar etc. But of course you could eat about 3 or more pureed apples in the time it would take you to eat 1 apple. So this is the difference. It is to do with quantity.
 
Ah but the fruit sugars do change when fruit is blended perhaps that is what madamelaminx was thinking. i have just taken this off the governments food standards agency.
Can I get all my daily fruit and veg portions from juice?
Drinking juice isn't enough on its own to make up the five daily fruit and veg portions we should all aim for. A glass of fruit and/or vegetable juice (150ml) counts as a portion of fruit and veg, but juice can't make up more than one portion a day, however much you drink. This is because you don't get the same nutritional benefits from juice as you get from whole fruit and veg. When juice is extracted from the whole fruit or vegetable, it reduces the fibre content and releases a type of sugar from the fruit or veg that can damage teeth, especially if you drink it frequently.
 
There is no way that pureeing fruit can change its sugar content. I do wish some consultants would check their facts before they speak and confuse people!!
 
An improved website for all. Not two individual sites with different stuff, whether you are a group member or an online member, information available should be the same.

The syns calculator needs revising, and a recipe builder would be good, that allows you to select all foods in a recipe and then gives you the total syns, HEa's in it per serving etc. A more extensive food list would be good too, especially for overseas members.

There is so much more they could do with their site to be honest, it is seriously lacking and not worth what they charge.

Absolutely agree - the website is shockingly bad, and not at all user-friendly. There's not even a search facility for pete's sake! :rolleyes:
 
Ah but the fruit sugars do change when fruit is blended perhaps that is what madamelaminx was thinking. i have just taken this off the governments food standards agency.
Can I get all my daily fruit and veg portions from juice?
Drinking juice isn't enough on its own to make up the five daily fruit and veg portions we should all aim for. A glass of fruit and/or vegetable juice (150ml) counts as a portion of fruit and veg, but juice can't make up more than one portion a day, however much you drink. This is because you don't get the same nutritional benefits from juice as you get from whole fruit and veg. When juice is extracted from the whole fruit or vegetable, it reduces the fibre content and releases a type of sugar from the fruit or veg that can damage teeth, especially if you drink it frequently.

Rosie, that info refers to juice extracted from fruit, ie if you put it into a juice extractor which leaves the actual fibre in the fruit behind. When you put it through a blender you're getting all the fruit, not just the juice, just the same way you would if you ate it whole.

This thing about blending it 'releasing the sugars' is so silly, I've no idea where that came from. :D

Blending it only releases the same energy/sugars that are released when it gets mashed up in your stomach.
 
This thing about blending it 'releasing the sugars' is so silly, I've no idea where that came from. :D

From the foods standards dietetic department : quote "The sugars found naturally in whole fruit are less likely to cause tooth decay because the sugar is contained within the structure of the fruit. But, when fruit is juiced or blended, the sugar is released.":D
this would explain why blended fruit always tastes sweeter xx
 
But the sugar is already there in the fruit! It's not magically appearing by the process of blending. :D

All that FSA info is saying is that the sugar is more likely to coat your teeth in juice form, which is quite true - that's why many people have surface holes in their teeth these days, because we all drink a lot more fruit juice than we used to.

Leaving the teeth issue aside, the sugar is not doing anything to your metabolism or weight gain/loss that it wouldn't be doing if you ate the fruit whole, that's the point I'm trying to make. :)
 
I have to agree, the fruit turns to a mush in your mouth anyway - even more so in your tummy. I think synning smoothies is just to put people off overindulging - which is daft as you're not 'protected' from overindulging in other free food...

On another note, I would LOVE a syns calculator to take shopping. But would hate to see SW producing ready meals. WW ones are disgusting!

ZXXXXXXXXXX
 
Oh and I forgot to say the SW website is pants! hardly anything there... Come on SW you can do better!
 
A calculator is a fab idea. Just like WW one. I had one and it was on me all the time, so where-ever I went I could calculate the points of each item, was a god send! x
 
i just posted a question to slimming world on twitter, asking about the possibility of a Healthy Extra calculator being put on their website along with the syns calculator. That way we could work out for ourselves if a cheese or bread item can be used as a HE. Will be especially beneficial to overseas members.

We should try and get a big list together from members of things we would like to see and send it to them. Hopefully they will take notice.
 
I would love the mag to come out monthly - and maybe a range of foods like the bars that you can use a HE's. How about a range of cereals that you can have more than 28g of, of syn free crisps! Agree with the points about ready meals but a range of really low syn treats would be great.
 
this is the reply from SW when I sent them your ideas-only just answered.



i Louise



Many thanks for the thread, there are lots of great ideas some of which are already in the pipeline. Watch this space.

Kind regard
Helen and the team at bodyOptimise
 
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